Lee Stempniak traded on NHL deadline day for 3rd straight year
Bruins acquire pending UFA for 2 draft picks
Lee Stempniak, to no one's surprise, is moving to a new hockey home.
For the third year in a row and fourth time overall, the veteran NHL forward was traded on deadline day, this time departing New Jersey for the Boston Bruins.
In return, the Devils received a 2016 fourth-round draft pick and 2017 second-rounder.
Rookie Bruins general manager Don Sweeney apparently has coveted Stempniak for some time.
Don Sweeney confirmed they did offer Lee Stempniak a PTO in fall, but he chose the Devils over the Bruins. Didn't offer him an NHL deal tho
—@HackswithHaggsStempniak, 33, gives the Bruins much-needed depth at right wing. With 16 goals and 41 points in 63 games this season, the 10-year NHL forward is on track for a career-high 54 points. He had 52 points in the 2006-07 campaign with St. Louis.
Stempniak is a pending unrestricted free agent.
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NJDevils?src=hash">#NJDevils</a> GM Ray Shero on trading Lee Stempniak to Boston: "If we were in a playoff spot I don’t think I would’ve done that."
—@SWhynoHe has 181 goals and 410 points in 771 NHL regular-season games for Toronto, Calgary, Pittsburgh, Winnipeg, New York Rangers, Blues and Devils.
Bruins add Liles, keep Eriksson
Also Monday, Boston added depth to its blue-line, acquiring 35-year-old John-Michael Liles from the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2016 third-round draft pick, 2017 fifth-rounder and forward prospect Anthony Camara.
Sweeney also held on to pending UFA forward Loui Eriksson, who was linked to trade rumours leading up to the deadline.
In a news release, Sweeney said contract talks with Eriksson and his representative would continue.
Looks like the Bruins messed up and released their annual email a little early, as this just arrived in my inbox. <a href="https://t.co/weEPD8anBH">pic.twitter.com/weEPD8anBH</a>
—@bruinshockeynow